Street
by Niar-Muse
Summary: Grimwold Noir has been hired for many jobs such as killing a wealthy buisnessman, keeping an eye on an untrusted ally. If there's one thing he's not, is a baby sitter.
1. Prelude-1

Grimwold gazed over the endless plain of the dark churning ocean, the warm lights of the cruise liner he stood on reflected off the water, its illusion of grandeur becoming a light on the water. The salty sea water was present in the air as Grimwold shifted the bronze key around in his hand, he had tied a rope around the key's bow that led to his wrist so he wouldn't drop it. The key and several hundred lien had been paid to him by Historia Ross, a huntress and his previous employer's enemy. With his business in Vale over with, the hit man found it high time he left for Atlas.

* * *

The murmurs of conversation held in the air around Grimwold as glasses clinked, metals scrapped against porcelain, chairs dragged across the wooden deck of the open aired dining area. The hit man had changed from the attire provided by his previous employer, never wanting to wear that bio suit again he had left it at the docks in Vale, instead preferring the modest clothing he was usually seen in, a pair of black pants, a plain black shirt and buttoned up blazer with silver lining, black gloves and shoes. The outfit was completed by a gray to green gradient scarf wrapped around his neck. With a sigh, Grimwold grasped the key in his hand and flicked it up into his sleeve, pushing away from the railings he turned and began to walk back to his cabin, but not before he was tailed by a pair of men dressed in matching black suits. The hit man remained calm, lavender eyes unchanging even as the men followed him to his cabin where two other men turned into the hallway and walked towards Grimwold, whom stopped in his stride beneath a light and assessed his situation.

"Two guards on either side, probably more in the room.", Grimwold theorized to himself, the spring dart located on the underside of his wrist was loaded, but it wouldn't be enough to take the men on all at once.

"The Schatten Attentater." A woman's soft voice said as the men that had entered the hallway parted, the woman was petite, with braided brown hair and tanned skin, she had brilliant blue eyes and wore a simple white dress that clung to her body, a white long sleeved bolero that's back fell to her waist before becoming a series of belts arranged in a form of netting, falling just before her ankles where a pair of white high heels were, an odd symbol hung on a chain around the woman's neck as she stood prominent before Grimwold.

"I prefer my name, Miss?"

"Drasil. Ymir Drasil." The woman answered, smooth as silk, "There is no need to introduce yourself. I know who you are. Grimwold Noir, the famed assassin known for escaping through the shadows."

"You've done your research Ms. Drasil." Grimwold grinned as Ymir frowned slightly.

"It is not that hard when one has access to every bit of information in the network. That is not why I'm here tonight. I am here, to employ your services."

"I must decline, I'm off duty."

Ymir frowned and folded her hands behind her back as Grimwold could feel the barrel of a gun hover over the back of his head.

"Do not make this harder Mr. Noir."

"What do you have in mind?"

* * *

"A young man will board this ship tomorrow morning, he goes by the name of Isaac Street, you are to protect him from harm until he reaches his destination." Ymir stated, motioning for one of her men to hand Grimwold a large white envelope.

"Inside that you'll find a full summary of your task, information on Isaac and where you will pick up your pay once the job is complete. Double cross me, Mr. Noir, and you'll find how easy it is for everyone to turn their backs on you. Are we clear?"

"Yes ma'am." Grimwold responded, a smile appearing on Ymir's face as the barrel of the gun fell away from Grimwold's head.

"Good, lets be going now." With that, the woman turned and left the hallway, her guards standing in front and behind her, eyes open as she calmly vanished from sight.

* * *

Grimwold let out a sigh as he opened the door to his cabin and turned on the lights, tossing the envelope onto the desk, Grimwold stripped off his scarf, gloves and blazer, hanging them on the hook that hung on the back of the door. Running a hand through his hair, Grimwold took a seat in front of the desk, unbuckling the spring dart and setting it by the envelope as he scanned over the white packet. The same symbol that Ymir wore around her neck was imprinted upon the packet, a brilliant emerald leaf with silver edges, the symbol of Radiance Academy, an all girls Academy settled in Vauco.

Cursing his luck, Grimwold leaned back in his chair, he had just talked with the head mistress of Radiance Academy, without even knowing. He had to give Ymir props, leaving her Academy behind to personally meet with him should have been an honor, if there wasn't a gun pointed at his head.

Sitting back up straight, Grimwold opened the envelope handed to him and pulled out the thick packet of paper inside. On the front page of the packet was the Radiance Academy symbol, flipping to the next page, Grimwold found a long letter addressed to him, detailing every highlight of his task. Skimming through the letter, he was able to pick up that Isaac Street was an asset to the Crown in Atlas and was to be protected while he was transported to the palace for safe keeping. A frown found itself onto Grimwold's face, he was an assassin, not a baby sitter, and certainly not a slave driver, he had his fair share of said people recently.

"But why would someone from Vauco care about the Crown in Atlas?" He mused, more questions were being asked than answers.

Setting the letter aside, Grimwold found that a pale green folder sat before him, flicking the folder open, the image of a boy, perhaps in his late teens, was pined to another smaller packet of paper. The assassin read over the boy's features carefully, memorizing his facial features and appearance. The boy had ashen brown hair that was short and messy, soft gray eyes and a wiry smile against pale skin. From the way he dressed he was definitely from Vale, but the way he looked, probably from Atlas. Reading further into the boy's profile, Grimwold's guess was proven correct as the boy was born in Atlas but taken to Vale for protection.

"Protection from what?" Grimwold muttered to himself as he read about the boys medical history, education, occupation and combative experience. What caught his eye was the boys Semblance.

"Forbidden"

What did they mean by forbidden? Its not like the boy had a choice, you were born with your Semblance after all, it was a fighters job to unlock it and use their ability to their potential. It confused the assassin as he theorized what they meant by forbidden while he read on.

* * *

By the time Grimwold had completed reading on Isaac Street, it was late into the night and he was exhausted, standing up and turning off the lights, the assassin fell into a lull the moment he hit the pillow of his bunk. He had no dreams that night, as if that mattered.

* * *

**Hey guys! Happy July 4th for those of you who live in America! With the return of RWBY looming over us, I present to you Street, an all new fanfic that follows the story of the mysterious Grimwold Noir, a hit man first featured in CRDL Master. Anyways, Street will be updating on a weekly basis every thursday as soon as possible. As always, reviews are greatly appreciated, especially to improve the story. So drop a reviews down below if you have any advice or anything and I'll get back to you.**

**Without further ado, I will see you all next week!**


	2. Prelude-2

The sun had just risen when Grimwold felt the cruise liner slow to a halt, the cries of seagulls was enough to give him a headache, not to mention there were almost to many people on the decks of the ship as Grimwold made his way to the exit, weaving in and out of the crowd where he could. By the time he had made it off the ship, a fancy car had pulled away, Ymir Drasil and her men inside, leaving a scrawny looking teen in its wake. Grimwold could recognize the ashen brown hair of Isaac as he strode towards him, apparently not being seen until he was less than two feet away.

"Isaac Street. With me, please." Grimwold stated nonchalantly, looking over the boy that stood before him as he jumped at the sudden interaction, it was as if he wasn't expecting it. The assassin that stood before him was intimidating to say the least, it was hot out that day and yet there stood a man wearing full on black with gloves! How was he not over heated?

"You already know my name so there's no use introducing myself…" Isaac stuttered slightly, hurrying to keep up with Grimwold's brisk pace towards the cruise liner he had just gotten off.

"But um… what's yours, Ms. Drasil didn't tell me much before she left so I guess this is a good place to start…", Grimwold sighed, if this was going to be the next week and a half for him, he would have to stop himself from jumping off the ships starboard side.

"Grimwold Noir." Grimwold answered as the two boarded the ship, Isaac growing more nervous as the ship pulled away from the land he had called home for the past four years of his life. He stumbled to catch up with the dark haired man assigned to protect him as he turned a corner and strode down a hallway.

"You're pretty quick on your feet, is that your Semblance?" Isaac tried making a conversation as Grimwold remained at his quick pace.

"This is just how I walk."

"Oh… I just kinda inferred that… I'm sorry."

"Don't be." The dark haired man stated as he unlocked a cabin and opened the door, letting Isaac in first and scanning the hallway before entering the room.

"So what is your Semblance? You don't look like a person who has time for Glyphs, you could have Polarity…" Isaac mused as Grimwold motioned for him to take a seat.

"It's neither of those, look, Mr. Street." Grimwold took a seat at the desk, pulling out the chair so he was facing Isaac "I'd rather not talk about my Semblance at the moment."

"Oh, is it a touchy subject, I'm sorry!" Isaac apologized quickly, tangling his hands together as he nervously shook, apparently not very good at conversing.

"No, it's something about me I'd rather not reveal, purely for professional purposes."

"Can you see through clothing?"

"What!?" Grimwold's voice rose in surprise as a deep blush began to spread over the boys face.

"No! Oh my Oum no! Why would I partake in something as uncivilized and low as that?" Grimwold defended as Isaac shook, eyes becoming wide as he struggled to form words.

"I'm sorry…." The boy managed out after a few moments of stuttering.

"Fine, just, don't ask any more questions." The man sighed, turning so that he was in front of the desk and picked up a book, flicking to the middle and beginning to read its contents. Isaac becoming all too silent for the hit man, his breathing practically disappearing under the swish of ocean water against the metal ship.

* * *

Hours passed as Grimwold kept his senses wide open, his aura on high alert as his fingers brushed the throwing knife he kept under his book. Realizing they were safe for the moment, Grimwold broke away from his book to look over at the job he currently had next to him, sleeping blissfully with little to no movements or flinches. His lack of movement left Grimwold feeling a touch unsettled, even as the hit man stood up quietly, shifting over towards the boy and letting his hand hover centimeters from his face, warm breath grazed his hand as the hit man let out a relaxed sigh, pulling his hand away and letting it fall on the boys shoulder he shook lightly.

Isaac's eyes snapped open upon the first shake, looking over at the man who had woken him up, Grimwold couldn't help but notice the subtle shift in his eye color, harsh bluish-gray quickly adjusted to the soft, gentle gray that was there before in the blink of an eye, but Grimwold had seen it.

"Have you eaten?"

"Um, no….. not since this morning." Isaac answered sheepishly as his stomach growled, Grimwold sighed, running his hand down the back of his head and smoothing out the unruly hair.

"Lets go." He practically ordered, walking to the door and opening it slightly, peaking out into the hallway and scanning it, deeming it safe he waited for Isaac to join his side before leaving the room. Closing and locking the door behind him, slipping the key up his sleeve.

Leading Isaac wasn't a problem, the boy practically followed Grimwold's shadow, but his questions, oh so many questions.

"So where are you from?"

"Atlas."

"Where in Atlas?"

"A small mining town known as Belbourne."

"Why'd you leave."

"Mining wasn't my calling."

"So what is your calling."

"Confidential Mr. Street."

"Oh right. Sorry. So why was there a knife under the book you were reading?"

"Don't talk about such things! Has your mother ever taught you what was appropriate to say?" Grimwold asked sharply as Isaac fell into a silence.

"I never knew my mother." And Grimwold felt a familiar feeling well in his chest, pushing it down he steeled himself and proceeded further.

"And your father?"

"Didn't know him either, I lived by myself most of the time."

"Most of the time?" Grimwold raised an eyebrow, turning down another hallway, the smell of sea water was becoming stronger as they neared the exit.

"Well I did live with a friend in Vale for a while."

"Its good to hear you weren't completely alone."

"So where do you live now?"

"I think that's enough questions Mr. Street."

"Oh… o-okay…."

The two stepped out into the setting sun, tourists and crew members alike were already on the decks, some heading back to their cabins, others heading to the entertainment facilities the cruise ship had to offer. Grimwold led Isaac on a bee line to a dining area, motioning for him to sit down at a table near the back of the dinning area. As they walked towards the table, Grimwold's eyes scanned over every occupant, looking at their hands and their facial expressions, even the slightest flinch would give Grimwold sufficient information.

Dinner came and went, Grimwold paid little attention to the food, instead paying attention to the coming and going of passengers as the night dragged on, the sun dipping below the horizon and the stars unveiling themselves in the night sky, the broken moon of Remnant hung high over head.

* * *

That night was the second night Grimwold was followed back to his room, Isaac was at his side, Grimwold had a bad feeling already as he let the small knife in his sleeve slip out and into the palm of his hand. Two men were following them, most likely armed and dangerous from what Grimwold could feel.

The men turned onto their hallway and reached for their concealed weapons, but Grimwold was quicker, he unlocked the door to their cabin quickly, shoved Isaac inside and closed the door, already making head way to them by the time their guns were drawn. With a flick of the wrist, a pair of darts sprung from under his sleeve, embedding themselves into the first man's skull as Grimwold moved onto the next man, coming in close and personal as he shoved the small knife between the man's ribs, puncturing a lung and withdrawing as the man's breathing became labored, his gun fell to the ground as he too fell limp, sliding down the wall and falling on his face. Dead.

Pulling out a handkerchief, Grimwold sighed as he cleaned off his knife and returned it up his sleeve, there weren't many places to hide a body on a ship, his best bet was dumping them overboard into the water. With another sigh, Grimwold set to work, gripping one of the men's wrists and pulling with all his might.

* * *

Isaac groaned as he picked himself up off the ground, the door had been closed behind him after the man supposed to watch him shoved him into the room. A dull pain racked through his body as he stood and moved over to the bed, laying down and looking at the ceiling, something was up with Grimwold Noir and Isaac was going to get to the bottom of it.

Even if it killed him.

* * *

**Hey guys! Back again, story is starting to move forwards as we meet Isaac and learn a bit about Grimwold. If you want to, leave a review down below and I'll see you all next week!**


	3. Prelude-3

Grimwold returned to the cabin at two in the morning, exhausted and cranky from having to kill and dispose of two bodies on a cruise ship filled with young children and families. He had eventually taken care of the bodies by breaking into the near by room and dumping them out the porthole, it was a bit difficult getting them through and Grimwold was sure he had broken a bone or two on one of the men, with the men disposed of, he cleaned up any trace of his being there, backed out of the room and locked it again.

Looking forwards to a few hours of rest, he stripped off his gloves and jackets, stepping out of his shoes and collapsing onto the bed, only to remember the secondary presence in the small cabin room.

There was a grunt as Isaac shifted and settled once more, Grimwold relaxing as he felt the boy fall back to sleep. He allowed his eyes to close and let himself slip off into a deep sleep. And for once he had a dream.

* * *

_Stars. Dotting the veil of Atlas' nights, the shattered moon shone overhead as the bastard son of a well known politician laid wide awake in his room. It wasn't as luxurious as his half sibling's rooms were, his room was off in the back of the manor, out of sight and out of mind from guests and parties frequently hosted at the ornate mansion. There were no guards that would pass his door, servants would turn their backs away and he never joined the family for meals or holidays. Perhaps the only good thing they did for him was supply him with access to their vast library and an old craggy governess. _

_The Rendells were almost, if not were, absent from Grimwold's life, were it not for their letting him live in the manor, he would have thought himself orphaned without a home. Even if his father despised his very being and his daughter Callis beat him up with the heavy sword she always lugged around, Grimwold was fast though and good at hiding so injuries were few. _

_That night, as Grimwold laid in his bed, the covers pushed off his body and halfway off the bed as it was much too hot, a shadow fell over the boy as his eyes widened with curiosity. He was not facing the glass doors leading to a tiny balcony, but the shadow was massive, striking tall against the opposite wall of the room. The boy remained in place, frozen with fear as the glass doors creaked open slightly, letting in a breath of cool midnight air. _

_There was no noise as the shadow drew closer to him and stopped. A sigh entered the air as a hand dropped to the shadow's side. _

_"I know you're up." It was a mans voice, gruff and tired, but gentle as Grimwold sat up and turned to face the man. He was aging, silver hair gleamed in the moon light, held in place by a ponytail. Green eyes looked down at the boy with pity, hidden behind a pair of spectacles that were ridged and deformed but still benefiting the man's eyesight. _

_"Are you here to kill me?" _

_"Yes."_

_"Then why don't you?"_

_"I don't kill children." The assassin answered calmly, pulling out a pocket watch and checking the time before tucking it away in his dark clothes. WIthout a second word, the assassin turned to the window he had come from and vanished into the night, leaving the young Grimwold to run to the window and look for the man._

* * *

Grimwold awoke to the ships horn as the chatter of its passengers passed outside his cabin, the hit man sat up in his bed, the blankets bunched up and tossed away with the empty spot Isaac had been in the night before.

The said boy was already up and dressed in a gray hoodie and faded blue jeans, currently paging through an old leather book on the cabin's desk. One that Grimwold recognized, he found himself at the desks side instantly, one hand on Isaac's chest and pushing him back while the other quickly closed the book cover.

"Never…. ever. Read this book again Mr. Street." Grimwold seethed, trying to let his anger die down quickly as he scooped the book up and looked back at Isaac who stood wide-eyed.

"I-I'm sorry….. its a diary right?" Isaac apologized, quickly asking a question as Grimwold sighed.

"Yes."

"Who's diary is it?"

"An old friends." Grimwold replied, looking at the book in question "A very, old, much loved friend."

"Oh…. I'm sorry for your loss."

"Don't be. I'm over it. It happened a long time ago and its best not to dwell on the past Mr. Street." Grimwold said as he walked past the boy, pulling on his jackets and grabbing his gloves while tucking the book under an arm.

"Come now Mr. Street. It seems we've arrived."

* * *

**Hey there! Chapter three is up and this closes the first arc. As a small note, arcs will be three chapters long and this chapter marks the close of the Prelude arc, I am going back to name the chapters by arcs. Anyways, reviews are gladly accepted and I will see you guys on the twenty fourth before the return of RWBY! Like I previously mentioned, reviews are very appreciated so drop one down below and I'll see you later!**


	4. Atlas-1

The cruise liner was abuzz as passengers grouped together with tour guides off board, new passengers boarding and supplies being replenished. Isaac was not sure how he and Grimwold were able to push through the clusters of passengers, but there they were, standing away from the crowds and quickly making head way towards the large town sprawled out before them.

"This is Riven, its a tourist trap filled with petty thieves." Grimwold explained as they steered clear of occupied streets, Isaac following close behind and looking around at the houses that soon surrounded them, they were white washed and made of stone, blue scaled roofs and cobble stone streets with grass and moss growing though the cracks in empty back alleys. The two passed shops, both local and tourist, bakeries that were just starting the days work, small parks that had children already playing in them and market streets selling fresh fruits and vegetables.

"Don't let the cheerful atmosphere fool you Mr. Street, there are assassins below our feet." Grimwold muttered as they waltzed through the market place.

"What do you mean?"

"Sewers Mr. Street, sewers."

"Ah…. I'll keep that in mind." Isaac said, an uneasy feeling forming in his stomach with each step they took, every street they walked down was darker to the young man as he kept up with the odd black haired man.

"Ugh, I hate going through this town, too many people for hire and too much back stabbing." Grimwold grunted as they passed an alley way with three men in it whom gave him a glare, all wearing the same white band around their shoulders.

The watery smell of a river was becoming closer and closer until the two found themselves at the river banks. A ferry already floating in the deep sapphire waters as people boarded, Grimwold pulled out a curious piece of paper, flashing it to the attendant by the ticket booth. The attendant instantly stood up straighter than a pencil, his brown eyes wide with shock as he shakily handed Grimwold a set of tickets and wished them a pleasant ride.

Isaac peered over the man's shoulders, trying to get a glimpse at the paper and only being able to see that it was a plain white page with a single black mark etched across it. Before he could make out any more details of the paper, Grimwold had folded the paper up and slipped it into the inside of his jacket. Beckoning for the young man to follow in his footsteps as they boarded and sat near the back of the ferry's first floor, people milled before them, some of them Isaac recognized as tourists from the cruise ship, others must have been locals or have arrived from different means of transport.

As Isaac glanced over the passengers, Grimwold had propped his head up on the palm of his hand, after giving the passengers a once over for danger, he had closed his eyes and let his mind wander. Tuning everything out, especially the uneasy rocking of the ferry.

* * *

_His name was Brutus, he was an assassin hired by Mordred Rendell, Grimwold's father. Brutus was more of a father to Grimwold than Mordred would ever be._

_As the young Grimwold stood there in his moonlight bathed room, Brutus had traversed up to Mordred's office, dug through his desk and retrieved a birth certificate that held only the boys name as well as leaving a message for the man who hired him._

_"I don't kill children."_

_With that, Grimwold was spirited away in the night, to a better life with the assassin, one where his abilities would flourish and where he would feel love and compassion from the man who raised him._

* * *

"So I was wondering." Isaac Street began as Grimwold's eyes shot open, glancing over towards the boy as the hit man sighed and sat up in the uncomfortable seat, working out a kink in his neck as he did so.

"You were wondering what, Mr. Street?"

"Maybe we could work out a deal, you know? Like, I could tell you a bit about myself and then maybe you tell me a bit about yourself…" Isaac suggested, the hit man glanced out the window, the sun was high over head and most of the ferry's occupants were either engaged in conversation or another activity that would stave off the time to the next port.

"Fine. What do you want to know?"

"Well, for starters, what's your semblance?"

"Starting with an unusual question, you're an interesting one Mr. Street." Grimwold stated as a light flush spread across the boys face, the hit man surprising a coy smile, "I'll tell you, in my line of work one must learn to become part of the crowd. That is my semblance."

"Who taught you that? Did you learn that at a combat school?" Isaac asked, eyes wide with excitement as Grimwold shook his head.

"I did not go to a school, I was taught by my father." Grimwold answered "Now its my turn to ask you a question. Tell me, Mr. Street, what is your semblance?"

"Oh well, um….. I kinda….. its hard to explain really… I just." Isaac was beginning to trip over his words, mentally cursing himself for his inability to explain clearly, taking a deep breath the boy looked away "I touch people, and they can't use their semblances ever again. Sometimes they aren't able to use their auras for a while afterwards…"

Grimwold almost reeled back in shock, remaining still but letting his eyes grow wide, a semblance that could take away other semblances. He had never heard of something as powerful as that sort of ability.

"What's it like? Your semblance, how do you feel afterwards?"

"It kinda hurts to tell the truth, its really uncomfortable to use… do we have to talk about this?"

"You were the one whom requested we do this, I am simply asking my question. We may end here if you want Mr. Street."

"No, so where do you live?"

"A small apartment a little ways from the inner city of Romaile."

"Is that where we're going?"

"Yes, Romaile is the capital city of Atlas. Its where the royal family lives and is where I've been escorting you to."

"How far are we from Romaile?"

"Its hard to say, perhaps a day or two. Romaile is deep in the heart of Atlas, much further than this ferry will take us. We'll have to take a train at the next town." Grimwold sighed, returning his attention back to the quickly passing river scape, Isaac looking away and distracting himself with watching the ferry passengers.

* * *

The next town came and went as the moment the two men departed from the ferry, they made a bee line for the translation, managing to get last minute tickets to the train that was just about to pull out of the station and onto the road.

Night fell quickly as the train chugged through the night, the moonlight illuminated the dark landscape outside the tree as Isaac stared out the window of their overnight compartment. Trees became silhouettes in the distance as untamed grassy fields grew wild and whitish green in the moonlight, occasionally the ashen haired boy would catch glimpses of bloody red eyes through the forests and fields, but it was hard to tell as the train raced through the night.

Towns came and went, sleepy farmlands and glowing crystal lakes, clouds passing over head and letting Isaac drift off to sleep in his bunk.

* * *

The train came to a grinding halt sometime in the night, Grimwold's eyes snapped open at the lack of movement, hand instantly gripping at the knife under his pillow as he sat up and glanced around the room, Isaac slept in the bed across from him, his back to the man and his breathing was even.

Sliding next to the door, Grimwold cracked it open slightly, peeking out into the hallway and registering the silhouette of three men, the white band around their arms was clear in the moonlight as Grimwold leaned back, took a deep breath and let his semblance take control. Slipping out of the room the men did not turn their heads even as the hit man approached them through the shadows, listening in on their conversations.

"A-are you sure this is safe? Mirabelle told us not to go near this guy."

"Are you really going to believe that nut job of a boss?"

"….."

"That's what I like to hear, come on, I think they're still sleeping. We can kill them both, loot the room and act like it never happened."

"Okay…. I guess."

"Wait. I don't think either of you are seeing the big picture here." And that's when Grimwold halted in his place, feet away from the men, he recognized that voice. Sure enough, looking up he could see the man's face. Pale blond hair, ruby red eyes and a scar running just under his eyes. Grimwold knew this man, Virgil Grace, an acquaintance of Grimwold's from less than a year ago.

"Oh what is it now Virgil? You always do this." The largest man sighed bitterly.

"I know you hate listening to Mirabelle, but did you see her eyes when we said his name, she's afraid of him. Mirabelle's the best assassin in Atlas, hell, she's the best assassin in Remnant." Virgil hissed in a low whisper, Grimwold almost rolling his eyes.

Mirabelle Creed, a hired assassin, Grimwold never liked her much, she was too expensive and flashy, not to mention her mind wasn't in the right place and she often mistook Grimwold as an apparition of one of her jobs come back to kill her. Come to think of it, he hadn't seen her since he worked with her on a job three years ago all the way in Vytal with a Hunter that was starting to get too violent.

He could remember it clearly.

* * *

_They stood on a roof top, Grimwold crouched down near the edge, looking over as their mark left their apartment with the fire sword they called their weapon. Mirabelle stood a little ways behind him, stalking from the shadows before flashing Grimwold a wide grin and bolting after the Hunter. Grimwold swore at himself, they had a plan! Bolting across the roof tops, the assassin chased after his partner as she cornered the Hunter in the alley way. Needless to say, the assassin quickly became one of the hunted as the Hunter drew his blade, perched it high atop his head and was about to bring it down when he felt something spread through him, an icy feeling that quickly became numb as he fell to the ground lifeless. Blood pooling from the scissor shaped dagger in his lower back. Grimwold stood over him, out of breath and loosing his mask of apathy as he turned to Mirabelle._

_Only to find she had a hand gun aimed at his head._

_"This is the end Grimmy."_

_Grimwold said nothing, looking down, he could kill her now, he was faster than her, but was he faster than her bullet?_

_"You must be wondering why? Well, after Brutus' untimely retirement his name went down, I can't afford to lose any more jobs to you Grimwold. Good bye."_

_Before Mirabelle could pull the trigger, Grimwold was already in front of her, a second scissor shaped dagger pressed against her neck._

_"I stay my blade today because I once called you a friend, but if we cross paths again. I will kill you."_

_And he had left her in that alley, never thinking that she would have set up in Riven, or that he would have seen her mark again._

* * *

"To see that fear in her eyes, don't you think this is a bad idea? She was very angry when she told us it was her business…" Virgil added as the biggest man out of them frowned.

"If you aren't gonna come with us, then leave."

"Well I think I've heard enough." Grimwold sighed loudly, standing up and brushing the shadows off his shoulders, the men stepping back instantly as wisps of shadows fell away from his form. Virgil's eyes brightened as he suppressed a smile and reached for the telescopic rapier he carried on his belt.

The first man swung his fist out at Grimwold, dust activating in the gauntlet he wore, the hit man raised an arm and stepped forewords, the gauntlet missing him by centimeters as his other hand shot out, a scissor shaped dagger digging its way into the man's elbow, blood already beginning to soak the man's dark shirt as he backed away, bitting his lip in an attempt to remain quiet. The biggest man out of the two growled in frustration and drew out a revolver to aim at Grimwold.

The cool edge of a rapier rested against the man's neck, leading back to Virgil's out stretched arm and serious face.

"I suggest you take your friend and leave, before my blade goes through the back of your skull." Virgil hissed as the man frowned.

"Traitor."

"I'd beg to differ."

Without another word, the man Grimwold had stabbed, ripped out the dagger in his arm, aura already working at closing the wound. Leaving as Virgil kept them at blade's tip until they were out of sight before he sighed and let the rapier collapse and go back to its spot on his waist.

"I hope that was worth it." He sighed, facing Grimwold, "So I guess we're even now?"

"Quite so. Thank you for the assistance. May I ask why you're working for Mirabelle?"

"Was working, was." Virgil corrected "It was the only way I'd be able to track you down, she has a bounty out for you you know?"

"I've been made aware." Grimwold sighed, wiping his dagger off on a dark cloth and replacing it inside his jacket.

"Just be careful Grimwold." Virgil stated, turning away and exiting the cart, several minutes later the train started up again and Grimwold returned to his room.

* * *

Virgil's debt was paid off, Grimwold could tell that much, and Mirabelle Creed was after him, it was odd to the hit man as she had never before set out to kill Grimwold each time he passed through Riven.

Questions were starting to pile up once more, and the hit man hated it, he just hoped that when they arrived at Romaile things would be smoother.

* * *

**This has been the day we've waited for. The Return of RWBY!  
Longer chapter with a lot of things happening, questions being answered and plot beginning to thicken. Reviews are absolutely appreciated, drop one down below and I'll see you guys next chapter!  
Enjoy the 24th!**


	5. Atlas-2

The rest of the journey to Romaile went off without a hitch and the two men found themselves standing on the train platform as the train they had departed from pulled away, already filled to the brim with new passengers and many more waiting on the platform as Grimwold pushed through them, Isaac following close behind.

Romaile was definitely the capital of Atlas, with high towers of delicately carved designs piercing the skies, well kept streets and high end fashion, it was much different than the simple feel of Vale, despite its technology ridden streets.

* * *

As Grimwold took his first look at Romaile in seven months, he could see the ledges and grips he had learned to climb as a teenager, familiar faces he had seen through his time in the city and the gas-light style street lamps that lined the city streets would illuminate later that evening.

The entire city was set on a gentle slope, the palace at the top, ornate and a symbol of power, while manors surrounded the central point, folding out behind them were houses and shops alike, a little less grande than the aristocratic housing before them.

A trolly ran through the town on a rail system, carrying passengers through the light traffic as Grimwold made a beeline towards the palace. The shouts of many people approaching as the first few picket signs being held high into the air began to appear.

"What's going on?" Isaac asked quickly as they turned out onto the road leading to the palace gates, only to find that the large ornate gates were closed, a group of six men standing before it wearing black armor with the royal insignia of the silhouetted profile of a young woman painted on their breastplates, before the men were hundreds of faunas protesters, shouting and jeering and demanding. Isaac had only seen protests like these on the news, it was difficult to take in in reality.

"This way." Grimwold muttered, pulling the boy by his arm around to the nearest alleyway and letting him loose, looking up the walls and finding a pipe, the hit man backed up slightly before breaking into a run and leaping off the wall onto the next and back, proceeding upwards onto the roof as Isaac watched in awe.

Snapping out of his trance, Isaac wrapped his hands around the pipe jutting from the wall and pulled himself up to the roof top where a strong hand grabbed ahold of his arm and helped him over the edge. Grimwold peered over at the protesters and then at the palace, a ten foot high wall surrounded the grounds, making it damn near impossible to climb over with the iron fence atop it. Further into the palace grounds was a balcony that's door was wide open, letting the morning air waft through to the dimly lit room inside, unfortunately the balcony was three stories up, and the front door wasn't an option as the faunas protesters pushed through the guards and began to flood the courtyard.

With a sigh, Grimwold leapt to the next rooftop in front of him, Isaac following close behind, with another bound across a roof top Grimwold dropped to a ledge and waited for his companion to follow him.

"You're doing fine." Grimwold stated at the out of breath Isaac whom simply nodded in return, he wasn't used to this sort of traveling. Dropping down to a small alley before the wall Grimwold nodded for Isaac to come closer, putting his hands together and giving the boy a boost to the edge of the wall. Isaac climbed over the fencing with ease, dangling on the other side before dropping into a bush below him. The black haired hit man dropped next to him moments later, landing on his feet in a crouched position in the grass, looking to the boy as he picked himself up out of the bushes.

With the two of them over the wall, Grimwold headed towards the palace, scaling up the side with ease as Isaac struggled slightly behind him until they reached the balcony.

* * *

_**-Suggested Listening: Fantaisie Impromptu~ Chopin-**_

"And that, is how you avoid crowds Mr. Street." Grimwold mentioned as they looked over towards the protesters, slowly getting pushed back outside the gates. Standing before the open balcony door, the sweet, gentle tunes of a piano being played flowed out. Stepping into the palace room, the two men were faced with a sort of ballroom, though it was almost too small to be a ballroom, a balcony ringed the edges of the ballroom, red curtains hung on either side of the cream colored pillars, a grand chandelier hung in the center, bathing the room in a warm golden glow as morning light broke through the balcony, doing little to illuminate the room further. Looking over the edge of the balcony, the two men could see a grand piano in the center of the room, a teenage girl sat at the instrument, her fingers dancing across the keys as she seemed to not sense the two intruders as they slowly made their way around her and towards the spiral staircase leading down to the main floor.

The moment Isaac's feet touched the main floor the girl halted her playing immediately, standing up carefully and stepping away from the piano, it was then they could see the bandages around her eyes.

"There's two of you….. male, maybe…. mid twenties…" She said hesitantly, her voice was soft and elegant as she stepped towards them carefully, her hand leaving the piano.

"You could tell that from our footsteps?" Grimwold inquired as he looked the girl up and down, she had long pale blond hair pulled back in a pair of loose ponytails at the base of her neck, pale skin that was paler than ivory as if she had never gone outside her entire life. She wore a simple white dress with a blue bow and white gloves, strangely she wore no shoes. Street took a step towards her and she instantly threw her arms over her eyes and stepped back.

"No! Don't come any closer!" She quickly said "I don't want to hurt you…"

At that moment, the doors to the ballroom flew open and a pair of men dressed in the same armor as the guards outside wore stepped into the room, swords drawn and shields ready to defend the teenager.

"Who are you?" One of the guards sharply inquired, glaring at Grimwold and Street as the hit man remained still, Isaac however shifted uncomfortably from foot to foot.

"I am Grimwold Noir, I have audience with the king." Grimwold calmly said as the guards relaxed slightly, sheathing their weapons as one looked to the teenager.

"Mr. Noir, it'd be best if we got you to the king immediately."

And with that, the two men were whisked away by an armored guard, walking along the ornate halls of the palace towards a grand throne room.

* * *

**And that was chapter five folks, we're about halfway through this arc and the next chapter is going to have some major story building. Anyways, reviews are always appreciated and I hope to see you guys next time!**


	6. Atlas-3

King Columbus Pendragon the Third was a tired man in his mid fifties, with graying blond hair and stunning mint eyes, an old war scar marring the right side of his face. He sat atop his throne, flanked by an empty throne that would have belonged to the former Queen, and an armored guard. Armored guards with white lined armor stood along the windowed walls in the throne room, eyes alert and weapons resting at their sides, ready to protect their king.

The throne room was large and ornate, with cream colored marble floors and tapestry decorated walls, telling the tale of Atlas' history. Beneath the King's feet he knew there to be a hidden passage, were the castle to be attacked, where he could slip through and to safety. His safety was top priority after all.

The ornate doors to the throne room opened inwards, the men along the walls stood to attention as their seniors walked past them, clad in black armor, a gold signet ring around their right biceps. Closely tailing the two guards were a pair of men, one with dark hair and simple purple eyes, and the other with ashen blond hair and gray eyes that skittered around the room, taking notice of just what kind of room they were in.

"Grimwold Noir, its a pleasure to see you back in Atlas." Columbus greeted, motioning for the doors to be closed as the assassin nodded his head.

"I presume you already know of the trouble outside."

"It's a shame, with my top General gone for the tournament we've been down troops, but I'm sure a man with your particular.. talents.." Columbus added with a pause, "Getting in here was not a problem."

The King motioned for his guards to close the crimson curtains, enveloping the room in shadows as a silence befell the throne room.

"Now, there is discussion of your payment, I've taken the liberty to clearing up that mess in Vale-"

"And I thank you for that my liege, but, I must inquire about your daughter." Grimwold interrupted and stated quickly, the King seemed to hesitate, his face growing pale and eyes growing wide.

"So, you've met Emilia.." Columbus said shakily, fingers gripping the edges of the throne.

"Yes, she's interesting, as I've gathered, she is to take the throne?"

"That is correct, but, pray tell, why are you asking this?"

"I'd like to know why a Princess would wear a blindfold in her own home."

The inquiry threw the King off guard, Isaac knew it would end up like this, or at least, lead to this sort of conversation.

"There is no hiding it anymore, is there?" Columbus mused before standing "I wont lie, this operation has been planned since the moment you left for Vytal, Mr. Noir. It was not a coincidence that Professor Drasil was able to track you down, your previous employer left quite the trail."

"You're avoiding the question."

"Now now Mr. Noir, Princess Emilia wears the blindfold, not only to protect herself, but to protect the entire castle."

Grimwold remained silent, waiting for the King to continue.

"There are, rumors. About the Princess. It's my right to say they are true. Princess Emilia was born with a dangerous Semblance, a curse if you look at it that way. I'm certain you've heard the story of Medusa."

Everyone in Atlas knew the story of Medusa, a fearsome snake faunas with eyes of stone that was fabled to have turned her enemies to stone.

Although, Grimwold wasn't so sure that Isaac knew this based off the quizzical expression riddled across his face.

"Medusa was able to turn her enemies to stone at a glance… its no lie that Medusa did marry into the Crown of Atlas, though secretly.."

"And where are you going with this?" Isaac asked, interrupting the King as all eyes on the room fell to him.

"Princess Emilia, is able to turn living things into stone, but her Semblance is uncontrollable, it knows neither friend or foe, Grimm, Human or Faunas. As I recall Mr. Street, you possess a particular ability to take it away, am I correct?"

Isaac stood to attention, nodding curtly.

"Yes sir," Isaac answered "But its dangerous, I don't know how I do it!"

"You were brought here for a reason Mr. Street, to save Atlas from a dangerous future Queen, you will wipe her Semblance and then be given the honor of death."

* * *

Grimwold's eyes widened as he stepped forewords, pulling Isaac behind him.

"You are not going to lay a finger on him." He growled, the knife up his sleeve wouldn't be enough, why did he find himself in these sorts of situations?

"You're right Grimwold, he wont be laying a finger on the poor _innocent_ child… I'll be taking that honor." A woman's voice purred from the shadows as she stepped out, short messy silver hair, dull yellow eyes, Grimwold had to hold himself back from lashing out and just ending the assassin's life then.

"Mirabelle Creed."

"How nice to see you Grimmy."

"Save the nicety Creed, why are you here?"

"Isn't it obvious? To kill the boy." Mirabelle answered with glee, stepping towards Isaac who stepped back in turn, Grimwold's eye scanned the room, there were more than enough shadows for him to go through.

"We can't risk someone stealing his Semblance and undoing years of careful work." The King stated, stepping towards Grimwold and Isaac "Now, hand the boy over."

"You sicken me. You've been raising him like a pig for slaughter!" Grimwold hissed, the blade in his sleeve slipping out slightly.

"It was a precaution, we couldn't let the boy fall into the hands of the likes of the White Fang."

"And now because you have a use for him you'll kill him, why?"

"That would be giving you information that should never be given to the likes of you, now, either you leave and never return or my men will kill you." Columbus gave Grimwold the ultimatum, and the assassin was unsure what to do.

"Isaac, I'm going to come back for you." Grimwold hissed in a low voice, peeling the boy from his back and bolting off into the shadows, vanishing without a trace and leaving the ashen haired boy to his own.

"Stay Mirabelle, there's no use going after Grimwold Noir." The King ordered as the assassin halted in her step to pursue Grimwold.

Isaac gulped and steeled himself.

He hoped Grimwold would stick to his promise.

* * *

**Guess who's back, I'm sorry for the very late update, I hit a small bump in the road on writing, hit a minor writers block and took a break for a few days. But I'm back and that's what matters, so we've wrapped up the Atlas Arc and will begin on the next Arc in the next chapter.  
****As a small notice, I am doing a double update this week to catch up with my carefully laid out schedule as I do want to get most of the stuff I'm working on done before I start school again in three weeks.  
****As always, Reviews are much appreciated and I'll see you in a day or two depending on how long it'll take to write out the next chapter.**


	7. Runaway-1

Isaac paced around the room provided to him, the moon was high in the sky and the clock tower across Romaile had chimed one in the morning, come sunrise Isaac would face execution, though he wasn't sure that he actually could do the task he was "given".

Where was Grimwold?

The ashen haired boy continued to pace with uncertainty, perhaps he could break out on his own? Run and run and run and hide until he was certain he was safe.

That'd never work.

What if he could use his semblance on himself and then take his semblance away? No, that'd create a sort of paradox and he wasn't sure how to handle that sort of situation.

Princess Emilia deserved to see, but not at the death of another. Isaac wondered if she knew of his execution.

* * *

The window creaked open and the curtains fluttered in the moonlit room, a shadow fell across the ground and empty bed with sheets still perfectly made. Isaac didn't even need to look to know it was Grimwold, having come back to save him.

With little hesitation, Isaac pushed the nearby chair to the door, hooking it under the handle and crossing back over to the assassin. He felt like it was a dream, maybe he'd wake up back in Vacuo, talk to the old woman across the hallway from him and go on with his day as if that dream had never happened.

The cool night air reminded him that this was reality, steeling himself Isaac stepped out onto the window sill, the shadowy figure of Grimwold was below him, already surveying the ground around Isaac's window for guards that may come their way.

* * *

Edging his way down the side of the palace, Isaac clung to the rope Grimwold had left in his return, the wind picking up around him and tossing the boy against the palace exterior.

The moment his feet touched the grass, Isaac let out a sigh of relief before the snapping of wood reached them. There had been two guards outside of Isaac's room and now it seemed that they finally were going to check on their prisoner, finding his door blocked and breaking into the room.

Grimwold acted without hesitation, grabbing the boys wrist roughly and pulling him along quickly, snaking through the shadows and over the wall into the alley, through the alley and onto the street.

* * *

They ran for blocks, helicopters and bullheads chasing after them in heavy pursuit, it seemed that the secret police had been informed and had set up barriers within a miles radius of the palace. Watching at every corner, weapons drawn and eyes searching for any and all whom walked the streets.

Grimwold pulled Isaac off to the side, stooping down low in the shadows and setting his hand down on a door handle, his fingers fiddled with the handle for a moment as the brass knob grew darker. The lock clicked open and the shadow's around the knob retreated back into Grimwold's sleeve as he led Isaac inside, the barking of hounds not too far away.

The interior was dark and seemingly empty, but from what Isaac could make out of the silhouettes that stood as furniture, it was a house that was well taken care of.

"We've got to keep moving Mr. Street." Grimwold hissed as he opened another door leading down into a basement, practically flying downstairs into the darkness.

Cool concrete beneath his feet, Isaac blindly edged through the darkness, led by the near silent foot steps of the man leading him. There was the scraping of metal and the plunk of a stone dropping into water as Grimwold's hand returned onto his shoulder and pulled him down into the sewers.

* * *

The sewers were soaking wet, water dripped from the walls and ceilings, pooled on the ground and in the waterways. The water came to Isaac's knees and the concrete underneath was slippery and constantly threatened to slip Isaac up, there was a scratching noise in the distance that he hoped was just rats.

He wasn't sure when they hit topside, but the next thing he knew, bullets were racing towards him, raining down from the roof tops, as if they were waiting for them.

A click came from Grimwold's sleeve as he aimed his arm towards the nearest street light, what happened next was a flurry of two bolts and sparks, the shattering of glass and dust filled the air as the street light's glass fell to the ground. With darkness enveloping the alleyway, Grimwold reached for Isaac, ready to pull the shadows around them and run.

But things didn't exactly go as plan, for at the moment he turned his head to reach for his companion, a sharp shooter pulled the trigger and a bullet raced towards Grimwold, but Isaac had seen it, heard the gun shot and barreled into Grimwold, pushing him out of the way just in the nick of time.

The bullet ripped through Isaac's shoulder, sending jolts of pain and shock through the boy's body as his eyes widened and his mind froze. He hardly noticed falling to the ground, or the red hue that bloomed across his shirt and caused it to cling to his chest. Nor did he notice a pair of arms wrapping around him, the coolness of shadows whispering across his skin, or the far away voice of Grimwold.

There was only sleep.

* * *

Grimwold panicked, holding Isaac in his arms and dashing into the shadows, pulling them around him like a cloak he made off into the night, shooting out street lights and disabling police men when he passed. There was no time to think, only to run and get as far as possible.

* * *

**Okay, hello again, a little bit shorter than my other chapters, but anyways its here on time. And this is the start of a new Arc, we're nearing the final Arc's folks. As always Reviews are gladly appreciated and with that I'll see you next week.**


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